Chinese Government Rejects Apple's iPad

NEW YORK -- Ten Apple products, including its iPad and MacBook line, have been excluded from Chinese government procurement, reflecting deepening distrust of American technology among foreign officials in the wake of leaks about expansive US intelligence gathering.

According to Bloomberg, China's National Development and Reform Commission and its Ministry of Finance omitted Apple's products from a list published in July that specified technology products eligible for purchase with government funds. The products were reportedly present in a draft version of the list distributed in June. A month earlier, Microsoft learned Windows 8 would be ineligible for government procurement in China.

Chinese officials could not be reached for comment; Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

In May, Chinese officials said they would review foreign technology companies for potential security threats following the US indictment in absentia of five Chinese military officers for cyber espionage. That month, the Guardian reported that the National Security Agency routinely receives or intercepts technology products being shipped to customers outside the US to install backdoors for spying -- the very thing US government officials warned China's Huawei and ZTE might be doing in a 2012 report.

This is where I see the slippery slope beginning. The Chinese can block imports of the leading Apple products (which they manufactured) because of perceived security threats. Conveniently enough, this promotes Chinese domestic products in their place.

To be completely cynical, I would guess the Chinese got a wake-up call and realized their snooping program doesn't work so well unless people have to use Chinese-snoop enbaled produces. I can imagine the dialogue during a meeting between Chinese snoopers and Apple manglers - but that has been redcated from this message in the interests of universal peace and harmony.

This strikes me as largely a symbolic action by the Chinese government, not based on a significant, real threat.

The irony is that most consumer electronic products are manufactured in China, with components from China. The Chinese government has a great deal of control over everything that happens in China. It seems that the world should be even more concerned about Chinese government spying though manipulation of electronic products than even the NSA can accomplish.

Do you really know what the components in your Chinese built PC are doing?